At the auction stage.
Elder Li glanced at the direction of the Sacred Tiger Sect without a trace, a sneer appearing in his eyes. He hoped they wouldn't make a move on that Ye Xuan, otherwise… the Sacred Tiger Sect would be finished.
Although Elder Li didn't know Ye Xuan's exact strength, it was definitely far more than the Xuan Alliance's apparent rank eight power, especially given the incident with the Ten Thousand Dragon Sacred Kingdom.
"One hundred million low-grade Sacred Crystals, first bid!"
"One hundred million low-grade Sacred Crystals, second bid!"
"One hundred million low-grade Sacred Crystals, third bid! Sold!!"
Elder Li immediately brought down his hammer. Clearly, any delay could lead to unforeseen circumstances. This was why he was so swift; after all, he wanted to forge a good relationship with Ye Xuan.
Not long after.
A staff member, carrying the glass rune cage, entered Ye Xuan's private box under the fierce gaze of Old Ancestor Lei Hu of the Sacred Tiger Sect.
"Esteemed sir, Elder Li mentioned that this item is extremely dangerous, so we hope you will handle it with caution."
"Oh."
Hearing the Star-level staff member, Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Please convey my thanks to Elder Li for his reminder."
"Yes, sir."
The Star-level staff member respectfully responded. He had witnessed the incredible efficacy of two elixirs in the appraisal area, and what's more, their young master intended to befriend Ye Xuan. How could he dare to be negligent?
A moment later.
The staff member exited the private box, and all eyes fell upon the fist-sized ant within the glass rune cage.
After a moment of thought, Ye Xuan suddenly remembered something and promptly summoned the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass.
The next moment, a porcelain doll-like child appeared in the private box, appearing to be about six or seven years old. This porcelain doll was the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass in its transformed state.
Upon seeing the child, the Elf Clone's pupils constricted sharply. "My, my, is this the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass that my master recognized as his own?"
"It seems I will use the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass to subdue this ant."
With this thought, the scene that unfolded next clearly confirmed his speculation.
"Oh?"
"It's a Heavenly Horned Ant!"
The Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass naturally knew about the ant before it from its master. The fist-sized Heavenly Horned Ant in the glass rune cage, upon sensing the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass, had its bean-sized pupils contract abruptly. "Whoa, what is this thing?!"
Clearly, the Heavenly Horned Ant's eyes were filled with apprehension. Although it was one of the Ten Fierce Beasts, the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass was even more extraordinary.
"Heh heh..."
"Master, release this Heavenly Horned Ant. I will help you subdue it."
As its voice fell, an inexplicably confident voice emanated. Immediately, an aura far exceeding the Celestial Lord realm spread out from the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass. Upon sensing the aura emanating from the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass, the Elf Clone became utterly flustered.
"This is… Starfall Fifth Heaven!"
Clearly, the Elf Clone was shocked by the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass's cultivation level. Damn it, was it really that powerful!
"What!"
Hearing his third master's words, Feng Chen and the others were utterly stunned, their eyes widening in disbelief as they stared fixedly at the six or seven-year-old child before them.
What the heck, Starfall Fifth Heaven? My heavens, how is that possible!
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. As expected, the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass had a fatal inhibitory effect on these strange creatures. To the Heavenly Horned Ant, the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass was a complete dimensional crushing blow.
The glass rune cage was opened, and the Heavenly Horned Ant flashed out with a "swoosh." However, it did not escape, but rather looked at the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass before it with apprehension.
"Little thing, obediently recognize my master as your lord, otherwise, I'll whip you to death."
Immediately, a blade of energy from the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass lashed out from a distance. In an instant, the Heavenly Horned Ant, with a yelp, was whipped away, finally bouncing back and landing at Ye Xuan's feet. This violent scene caused Feng Chen and the others to gulp in unison.
Damn it, this guy had truly learned from his master, grass!
From now on, this fellow absolutely could not be offended!
"Ah~~~"
The Heavenly Horned Ant's teeth bared in pain, its expression quite comical. The Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass clearly ignored it and looked at Ye Xuan. "Master, you can begin now."
"If this little thing dares to resist, I'll whip it to death immediately."
"Good."
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. Seeing the Heavenly Horned Ant's submissive and apprehensive demeanor was all the explanation he needed.
Following this, the master-recognition process proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
It was a joke!
With an existence like the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass watching from the side, how could it not be smooth?
The Heavenly Horned Ant wanted to resist, but it couldn't, nor did it dare. After all, it was genuinely afraid that the terrifying being would whip it to death.
Master-recognition successful!
The Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass patted the Heavenly Horned Ant. "Very good, excellent performance."
"From now on, you are my little brother."
With that said!
The Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass dripped a drop of its essence blood into the Heavenly Horned Ant's forehead. The next moment, it trembled with a buzz as the Heavenly Horned Ant's bloodline underwent an unprecedented change. This drop of essence blood was no ordinary essence blood; it contained a significant amount of bloodline power.
"This is… Bloodline Reversion!!"
The Heavenly Horned Ant's bean-sized eyes then burst with brilliant rays of light. Subsequently, its gaze towards the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass changed completely. It immediately knelt on the ground with a "plop." "Thank you, Brother!!"
Then…
The Heavenly Horned Ant's aura began to surge visibly, and it swiftly stepped into the Starfall realm.
Starfall First Heaven!
Starfall Second Heaven!!
Finally, the Heavenly Horned Ant's aura stabilized at the peak of Starfall Third Heaven. Such a scene was truly insane, and the Heavenly Horned Ant itself was dumbfounded. "Ah, this… peak Starfall Third Heaven, my goodness!!"
"Brother is mighty, his magic is boundless, may he reign for ten thousand generations and unify the martial world!!"
The Heavenly Horned Ant's admiration and reverence for the Nine-Leaf Sacred Spirit Grass were like a continuously flowing river, and a boundless flood, impossible to contain.
Hearing this, Feng Chen and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths, their eyelids jumping incessantly. Damn it, this Heavenly Horned Ant seemed… exceptionally shameless, no, more accurately, thick-skinned.
The Elf Clone also smacked his lips. Bah, in an instant, its combat power probably wouldn't be inferior to his own. The monsters around his master were becoming more and more numerous. Although he had awakened the Elf Domain, why did he feel that the pressure had not lessened, but rather increased significantly? This was truly dog-tired.
Alas~~
The Elf Clone thought a great deal for a moment. Clearly, the Heavenly Horned Ant on his master's shoulder would likely become an extremely terrifying combat force under his master in the future. The future… was indeed something to look forward to.
Of course, if Old Ancestor Lei Hu of the Sacred Tiger Sect were to know of this scene, who knew if he would be so envious he'd explode on the spot.